BELS (Bioengineering and Life Sciences)
and Pre-Med

Students who are considering pursuing professional careers in the Life Sciences, including Medicine, should be aware of the following undergraduate-level opportunities for study in areas that can enhance their preparation for future graduate work in these fields:

First, the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies is one of nine CSM departments and divisions that have combined resources to offer a Minor Program and an Area of Special Interest (ASI) in Bioengineering and Life Sciences (BELS). Many intellectual frontiers within the fields of environment, energy, materials, and their associated fields of science and engineering, are being driven by advanced in the biosciences and the application of engineering to living processes. LAIS 320, Introduction to Ethics, is one of the BELS-approved elective courses.

In addition, students considering attending medical school after completing their undergraduate degrees should be aware that one of the basic requirements for admission to medical schools includes one year of study in expository writing/composition, literature, and/or English courses. Mid-level and upper division courses in LAIS that would satisfy this requirement include:

• LAIS 300 Creative Writing: Fiction
• LAIS 301 Creative Writing: Poetry I
• LAIS 305 American Literature: Colonial Period to the Present
• LAIS 306 African American Literature: Foundations to Present
• LAIS 314 The Journey Motif in Modern Literature
• LAIS 401 Creative Writing: Poetry II
• LAIS 402 Writing Proposals for a Better World
• LAIS 405 Becoming American: Literary Perspectives
• LAIS 406 The American Dream: Illusion or Reality?
• LAIS 409 Shakespearean Drama
• LAIS 414 Heroes and Anti-Heroes

In addition, Liberal Arts course work that emphasizes ethics, philosophy, culture, and ethnicity studies are favorably viewed by medical school admission committees.

For more information on the Medical College Admission Test, which is a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, and writing skills in addition to the examinee's knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine, go to the MCAT information page at the Association of American Medical Colleges: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm

For more information on the MCAT Communication Skills Test, go to:
http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/comskillfaq.htm